1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to exercise equipment, and in particular, to a weighted flywheel for use on exercise bicycles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Exercise bicycles benefit the user by improving cardio-vascular fitness, enhancing body tone and engendering an overall sense of well being. Typically, the user exercises by pedaling a predetermined amount of time, or pedaling the equivalent of a distance indicated on an odometer. Also, the user may simulate pedaling up an incline by adjusting calipers or a tension belt on a wheel or the gear ratio between a sprocket and the wheel. Whichever mechanism is used, the effect is to increase the amount of work required by the user.
While many exercise bicycles use a wheel similar to that found on conventional bicycles, it is also advantageous to replace this type wheel with a flywheel. One function of a flywheel is to damp out any fluctuations which occur during a sequence of pedaling strokes by the user. For this purpose, the flywheel needs to have weight. It has been customary heretofore to use a cast iron flywheel, but these have not been made where the exercise bicycle is assembled, and they have been expensive to ship. Heavy steel shells have also been used, welded together radially inboardly of an outside rim, but they have been difficult to form and expensive because of their weight.